Lexington teen accused of attacking his mom is charged in shooting that blinded child
A Lexington teenager accused of punching and shooting his mother has been linked to a 2020 shooting that left a 5-year-old boy blind, according to police and new court records.
Michael Lemond, 18, was charged with two counts of first-degree assault Wednesday after police accused him of firing the shots that struck 5-year-old Malakai Roberts and Roberts’ mother, Cacy Roberts. Malakai was permanently blinded by the shooting after one of the shots went through his head.
The shooting happened around 2 a.m. on Dec. 21, according to police. The shots were fired from outside the Roberts’ home on Catera Trace. Malakai’s injuries were initially considered life-threatening. Four other people were in the home when the shooting occurred, police said at the time.
Police wrote in Lemond’s arrest citation that he “created a grave risk of death.” Lemond was also charged with two counts of wanton endangerment in addition to the assault charges, according to court records.
“He was asking me if he was going to die,” Cacy said of Malakai when the shooting happened.
Malakai, now 6 years old, received an outpouring of support from community members. His mother previously told the Herald-Leader she was honest with him about his permanent loss of sight. She said he handled it well because he’s very mature for a 6-year-old.
“He is the type of person that would be able to handle a tragedy like this,” Cacy said previously.
Prior to Lemond’s new charges, Georgetown police said they seized the gun used in the early-morning shooting. Police said they found the gun while investigating a March 27 call about shots fired at a Georgetown apartment.
“Detectives were called to assist with the investigation, and as a result, a significant amount of marijuana and several weapons were seized” from that apartment, police said.
Georgetown police said one of the firearms was linked to the Lexington shooting through cooperation between that police department, Lexington police and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Lemond was already in the Lexington-Fayette County Detention Center when he was charged. He had been previously charged with fourth-degree assault and wanton endangerment after he allegedly punched and shot at his mother May 23 during an argument, according to court records.
His mother told police that the two had been arguing in an apartment parking lot before the assault, according to court records. He also allegedly pulled a handgun from his waistband and fired three shots at her. Police recovered shell casings from the scene, according to court records.
Lemond allegedly fled the police when they located him and tried to stop him a few days later. He crashed into a parked car and multiple motorcycles, according to court records.
Lemond’s charges from the previous altercations included multiple counts of wanton endangerment and one count of carrying a concealed deadly weapon, among other offenses.
Lemond was held under a $5,000 bond for the prior case but was also being held without bond before his arraignment in the December shooting, according to court records.
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